Opposite Ends of the Spectrum
by Mondo the Second
Summary: A new arrival to Camp Half-Blood learns who he is.  Please read and review!
1. New World

Opposite Ends of the Spectrum

I do not own Percy Jackson

A car drove down the roads outside of Manhattan, heading out onto Long Island. Inside were two occupants: a kind, loving, yet worried mother and her surly eleven-year-old son. He sat in the backseat watching the city disappear as the crossed the bridge out of town. He wore a Muse t-shirt and slim fit jeans. His hair drooped down over his eyes a bit. As the houses grew farther apart, the boy's mother cast a few furtive glances at their surroundings. "We'll be there within an hour," she said to the child behind her. No response. "Scott!" she called. He was listening to his iPod and couldn't hear her. She reached behind her and smacked his leg. "What?" he cried, pulling his earbuds off. "I said we'll be there soon," his mother repeated.

Scott slumped in seat and stared resiliently out the window. "It wasn't my fault, you know," he said to his mother. "That scary bird lady crashed my school bus, not me! I didn't even get hurt. That weird kid that eats sticks ended up in the hospital, but everyone else pulled through okay." His mother sighed. "I know it wasn't you. But... it's not safe for you at home. Not right now. It's... complicated. I'm taking you to a place where you'll be alright." Scott rolled his eyes. "Where/" he asked, still looking out the window. "To a special summer camp," his mother replied.

Scott groaned in the backseat. "Summer camp! Are you serious? I'm not seven years old anymore! Why the hell do I need to go to a stupid camp?" His mother shot a look at him that silenced him suddenly. "Don't talk that way to me, young man. This is the best thing for you. Your father wanted me to send you to this place when you were old enough. When you were ready." Her voiced trailed off as she brushed away a tear. "Yeah, my deadbeat jerkwad of a father wants what's best for me now. And where has he been, huh?"

Silence was his answer. "Don't call him that. Your father had to leave. He didn't want to, but I can't really explain. It's..." "Complicated, I know," Scott finished, shaking his head. "I've heard that all my life." His mother tried to brighten the mood. "I'm sure you'll have loads of fun. You'll make all kinds of friends. I know you will." Scott let out a derisive laugh. "How do you know? I had no friends in any of the schools I went to growing up. What makes you think this place will be any better?" Now his mother rolled her eyes. "Maybe if you didn't wear black all the time or listed to nothing but Linkin Park or watched all those godawful zombie movies. Or maybe, just maybe, if you attempted to be an approachable human being you would have friends." Scott stared out the window in stony silence.

His mother drove on, tears welling in her eyes. She wanted to explain everything, but she knew he would find out from better sources soon enough. Scott turned up his iPod to drown out everything else, even his mother. He sat up in his seat as the car began to slow down. The car stopped near a field of strawberries. "Are we here?" he asked, pulling his earbuds out. His mother nodded, wiping away a tear. Scott got out of the car and stood there, taking in his surroundings. "Where's the camp?" he asked. His mother got out of the car. "It's just over that hill, Scott," she replied, pointing to a small hill in the distance. She gave him a hug and a kiss, which he promptly wiped off of his face, presumably embarrassed by this.

She got back in the car, leaving Scott looking curious. "Aren't you going to walk me to the camp?" he asked. She shook her head. "I can't," she said sadly. "I know you're sad to see me go, but-" Scot began. "No, I mean I physically can't. It won't let me," his mother answered. "I love you very much, sweetie," she said, tears forming again. "I love you too Mom," Scott replied, a little confused. "But it's not like I'm going away forever." His mother started to cry and got back in the car. She waved good-bye and drove off, leaving Scott standing among the strawberry fields.

Scott turned towards the hill as soon as he could no longer see his mother's car driving off into the distance. He felt a little weird walking to a place he had no definitive location for. As he walked through the fields he saw a cluster of trees and an arch in between them. Something was written on the arch in strange letters that he didn't recognize yet somehow he knew them to spell out Camp Half-Blood. He tried to figure out what that meant but was drawing a blank. He figured that this must have been the camp his mother was referring to, so he proceeded through the arch.

He stood there stunned at the sight that greeted him. He saw loads of other kids, sure. But why were they all decked out in battle regalia? Swords and shields and armor adorned the kids. He felt like he wandered onto the set of _300 _or _Clash of the Titans_. What kind of camp was this place? A group of burly looking kids spotted him and jogged over. "Fresh meat!" one of them cried as they approached him. A few of them looked like they could be linebackers. The others looked sooty and smelled like ash and motor oil. He tried to look brave in the midst of the big kids, but he couldn't help but feel intimidated. "What's your name kid?" asked one of the linebackers. "Scott," he replied quietly.

One of the grease monkeys clapped him on the back. "Well Scott, welcome to Camp Half-Blood! Best place there is for demigods!" Scott looked confused. "Demi-what?" he asked. The whole group of kids looked shocked at his question. "Come on Twilight. Don't play dumb with us. Why else would you be here?" A muscle twitched in Scott's fist at the mention of Twilight. He liked dressing the way he did, but that didn't make him emo. He got suspended from school once when someone said he liked to wear his sister's pants and cut himself. The kid ended up with a bloody nose, a black eye, and a swollen lip. But Scott restrained himself. He knew that anyone of these kids could beat the stuffing out of him at the drop of a hat.

However, he did not like the implication that he was a moron. "Who claimed you?" asked one of the girls in the group in a much kinder tone. Scott was beginning to feel uneasy by now. "I don't know what you mean," he replied. "What's a demigod?" A couple of the bigger kids started laughing. "Oh gods, what a noob!" one said, doubled over with laughter. Scott had no idea what was going on and he did not like it. His breathing became a little labored. "I want to go home!" he cried as some more people came over towards him. "What's going on here?" asked an authoritative voice. Scott looked around for the source of the voice and saw a man... with horse legs. What little color was left on Scott's face drained and he fainted at the entrance to the camp.

_Scott was on the bus to school. He sat by himself as usual. Some kids were giving him looks like he was something they scraped off the bottom of their shoes. A few rows behind him Glen, the weird kid was chewing on a twig. Everything was going fine until the bus driver didn't take the correct turn to go to the school. If anyone noticed, nobody said anything. As they got farther away from the school, Glen got up to talk to the bus driver. Figures the brainy kid would say something. "Excuse me, but I believe you've missed the turn." All of a sudden, Glen was thrown against the window and rendered unconscious. A few kids screamed. Scott got up to help Glen. When he got to the front of the bus he nearly wet himself when he saw the bus driver._

_ Instead of a person, he saw a bird. But it was unlike any bird he had ever seen. It looked like a demon bird with a woman-like face. It grinned at him with sharp teeth and let out a horrible shriek. "What are you?" Scott screamed. "A friend of the family!" replied the bird-thing in an otherworldly voice. It lunged at him. Scott ran along the length of the bus as the bird grabbed at him with its claws. Kids began to scream as the bus swerved out of control and collided head-on with the scaffolding outside a deli. Patrons and schoolchildren ran out screaming. The creature leaned into Scott's face, snarling. Suddenly, a deep, booming voice shouted, "LEAVE HIM ALONE!" The creature disintegrated instantly leaving Scott alone in the bus with a knocked out Glen. He didn't know what else to do, so he ran. He didn't know to where._


	2. Who Am I?

Opposite Ends of the Spectrum

chapter 2

I do not own Percy Jackson

Scott woke up suddenly in a cold sweat. He looked around and saw his was in a cabin. There were lots of other beds around him. He sat bolt upright when he saw a man at the door with about a hundred eyes all over his body. "Don't worry," a voice said. "That's Argus. He won't hurt you." Scott turned his head and saw a young man in an orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. "Who are you?" he asked, timidly. "Percy Jackson of the Poseidon Cabin," the young man replied. "Yours?" Scott cast another nervous glance at Argus. "Scott Dennings," He answered. "Oh good, he's come to!" cried a young woman's voice from the entrance. She came over and sat next to Percy, planting a small peck on his his cheek. "Scott, this is Annabeth Chase, head of the Athena Cabin." She smiled. "Glad you're okay. We've never had a kid faint before he saw any of the monsters."

Scott blinked. Poseidon? Athena? He knew those names from somewhere. "Where am I?" he asked. "You're at a special camp for demigods. Children of the gods," answered Annabeth. Scott's head was beginning to spin again. "What do you mean? My father is a god?" he asked, disbelievingly. Percy and Annabeth looked serious. "Okay, that is what you mean," said Scott. "What did those other kids mean when they asked if I was claimed?" he asked. "They meant if your god parent claimed you as their child," replied Percy. "My father is Poseidon, lord of the seas. Annabeth's is Athena, goddess of wisdom and strategy." Scott tried to take all of this in. It was ridiculous. It was impossible. His father wasn't a god. He was just some tool who left his mother when he was an infant. But on the other hand, what with all of the scary bird people and horsemen, nothing else could explain this.

"How will I know if I've been claimed?" asked Scott timidly. Percy chuckled. "I don't think you have been yet. You'd know when it happens. Usually your parent's symbol illuminates over your head. Sometimes you display an ability that only your parent can do. We'll find out soon enough." Percy got up and helped Annabeth off the bed. "Come on," she said. "Let's show you where you'll be staying." They left the infirmary and headed out into the camp. Scott was almost overwhelmed by what he saw. Kids were practicing hand to hand combat and sword fighting skills. There was a small stadium for chariot racing. There was a massive open space where a fire pit sat. Surrounding the pit were rows of chairs and tables. That must be where everyone ate.

Then he saw the cabins. There were around twenty, maybe more. Each looked different. "These are the cabins," explained Percy. "One cabin for each of the gods. Some of them like Hera and Artemis are only honorary because they didn't have demigod children." They walked through area and Scott tried to match the cabin to the god. They passed a Barbie's Dream House cabin, a cabin that looked like a school shop class, and a cabin that looked like it had a boar's head on a pike with swords and battle axes all over the outside. He figured they belonged to Aphrodite, Hephaestus, and Ares, respectively. They passed a cabin that was a bright green. Flowers adorned the outside and a group of kids in earthy colors were tending to a garden. A red haired girl of about twelve looked up and wiped the sweat from her brow with her forearm. She saw Percy, Annabeth, and the new arrival walking by the Demeter cabin. She smiled and waved at Scott, who blushed and turned away. The girl giggled and went back to her garden.

Not too far away there was a cabin that gave Scott a serious case of the willies. If Marilyn Manson and Tim Burton had a summer camp, their cabins would look like this. It was black with brightly colored jewels around the base of the entry. On either side of the door was a lit torch in a bracket, spewing bright blue flames. Gargoyles sat perched around the roof of the building. There were some truly grotesque images including a bird which looked frighteningly familiar to Scott. As he stared at this place, all sound seemed to disappear. No birds chirped. It felt like the wind had died as well. But there was something he felt drawing him closer. Percy's spoke and startled Scott. "We try to avoid the Hades cabin as much as possible. It gives everyone the creeps. We haven't had a child of Hades since my old friend Nico, and he didn't stay here long anyway." As Percy led him away, Scott took another look behind him. It terrified him and yet it didn't. He couldn't figure out why.

"Here we are!" cried Annabeth. Scott turned around and saw a cabin which looked like it had seen better days. It looked old and worn. The paint was peeling off the walls. He noticed an image on the outside of the walls. A staff with two snakes wrapped around it up the length. "Welcome to Hermes. God of messengers, wanderers, and thieves," said Annabeth. Scott looked at the cabin and felt that he did not belong in this cabin. "I know how you feel Scott," said Percy, sensing his troubled mind. "I wound up here at first as well. All unclaimed demigods in addition to Hermes' children wind up here. But it will only be for a short while. I'm sure your father will let you know who you are." He patted Scott on the back and left him at the entrance to the cabin. "Good luck Scott," said Annabeth as she followed after Percy.

Scott turned and faced the door in front of him. Might as well get this over with, he thought. He knocked on the door. A tall sandy haired kid who looked like he was fifteen or sixteen opened the door. "Ah! A new member of the esteemed house of Hermes! Come on in!" he said with a mischievous smile. Scott's jaw dropped the moment he walked into the cabin. There were at least twenty children of various ages in their teens crammed into this cabin with a large statue of Hermes erected in the center of the room. He also noticed someone had drawn a mustache on the face of the statue. "The name's Will. Will Carlson, head of Hermes Cabin. Yours?" said the older kid. "Scott Dennings," Scott replied. Will took his hand and shook it vigorously. "Pleased to meet you Scott!"

Scott looked around at all of the children. "Are all of these kids...?" he started to ask. Will shook his head. "A lot of them are unclaimed demigods, much like yourself. The gods are supposed to claim them all, but sometimes it takes a little time." Scott looked worried. What if he stayed here? And why was he concerned about the Doom and Gloom cabin? He decided not to worry about it as Will introduced him to his bunk mates. "Oh and word to the wise," Will said in a hushed voice. "Don't keep anything valuable where people can get to it." On his bed lay an orange t-shirt with CAMP HALF-BLOOD written across it.

Dinner came sooner than Scott had anticipated. Everyone sat around the fire and before they began eating, all the campers threw a small amount of food into the fire. One of his bunk mates, Kyle, told him it was an offering to the gods for their continued protection. Scott didn't know why the gods had a thing for charred food, but he threw in a bit of his chicken. Scott liked Kyle. They shared similar interests, Kyle made him laugh. But he knew Kyle was a son of Hermes and he didn't feel that connection for himself. Scott glanced over at some of the other tables and saw that same red haired girl from the Demeter cabin he saw earlier in the day. "Hey Kyle," he said, nudging him in the side. "Who is that?" Kyle looked up from his food to see who Scott was talking about. "Oh her? That's Gemma Matthews. One of the best green thumbs you'll find over in the Demeter cabin." Scott somewhat paid attention to this. "Is she nice?" he asked. Kyle laughed. "Is she nice? The kids from that cabin are so mellow it's not even funny. I don't think there's a nasty bone in any of their bodies." Scott pondered for a moment and stood up. "Hey where are you going?" asked Kyle as Scott got up. "I gotta do something real quick," he muttered. "Dude, we're supposed to stay with our cabins. You're gonna get us in trouble!" Kyle shouted, but Scott had already walked away.

Scott barely walked five steps before he heard a voice. "Don't." He stopped midstep and stood there for a moment. He walked back to the table and sat back down next to Kyle. "Thank you for listening to reason. I really don't want to have to clean the toilets again," said Kyle. Scott forgot what happened. "Again?" he asked. Kyle brushed it off. "Long story. There was a snake and I wasn't directly involved... I'll tell you about it sometime. What changed your mind? You looked pretty determined to sit with Gemma." Scott shrugged. He didn't want to tell his new friend that he was hearing voices. "I don't know. I just felt I shouldn't break the rules by getting up."

They finished dinner without bringing up the moment of strangeness again. Tomorrow Scott was going to begin to learn how to defend himself. He was nervous, but if this was to be his future he had to suck it up. Sleep did not come easy to him in his cabin, but when it did he wished he was awake again.

_He ran as fast and as far away as he could. He decided to go home. His mother could figure something out. He ran to the nearest subway station and got on the train. He got home and his mother was on her way out the door to go to work. "Scott?" she cried as she saw her son running down the hallway to their apartment. "What happened?" She knew something bad had happened. He could tell. They walked into the apartment and he told her about the monster on the bus. He thought she would think he was crazy. On the contrary, she looked troubled. "It's happening," she said, more to herself than to her son. "What's happening?" he asked in a panicked voice._

_ His mother didn't respond. A knock at the door cut her off. She grabbed Scott and put him in his room. "Stay in here and, I don't know, play Final Fantasy or something until I come get you." She shut his door and went to go answer the door. Scott got off of his bed and walked over to his door and gently eased the door open. "Why?" he heard his mother sob. "He's just a boy!" A second voice, male, responded. "He needs to learn who he is." What? "You're here! Why can't you tell him?" his mother cried angrily. "Samantha," the man said in a tired voice. "You know how busy I am. I have to take care of what happened out there. You need to take him to the place I told you about all those years ago. It's what's best for him." Scott heard a smack and figured she must have slapped the stranger. There was silence for a moment. "I know you're upset, but please don't do that again," said the man with a slight edge to his voice. "You have to take him there. Now, if possible."_

_ Scott heard the door shut and he ran out of his room to confront the stranger. He opened the front door but saw nobody. Not even in the hallway. "Who was that?" he shouted at his mother. His mother quivered, tears streaming down her face. "Come on, sweetie. We have to go." As she walked to her room she heard Scott shout, "You never tell me anything!" followed by the slam of a door._

Scott woke up in the middle of the night. He didn't know why, but when that man visited his apartment, he got the same eerie vibe as he did from that cabin.


	3. The Moment Arrives

Opposite End of the Spectrum

chapter 3

I don't own the rights to Percy Jackson

Scott woke up more tired than he was when he went to sleep. He kept having visions of the previous morning. His school bus. His mother and the stranger. He also had remembered an incident from when he was a little boy. There was a bird and... But he didn't want to think about it. That incident from his childhood deeply troubled him to this day. He sat up in bed and looked around. He really was in a cabin full of demigods. He really did see a centaur the night before. And there really were monsters trying to kill him.

Over in the next bed, Kyle yawned. "Morning," he groaned as he stretched. "Morning," Scott replied. He didn't feel very chatty. But at the same time, he felt he had to talk to someone about how he felt. His mother wasn't around. This made him feel even worse. If only he had been nicer and didn't take advantage of her he probably wouldn't feel so wretched. If I make it out of this, he thought, I'm gonna do the dishes every night and make sure the apartment is clean.

"You look like you got a lot on your mind," said Kyle's voice from far away. Scott snapped back to reality. "How old were you when you found out?" he asked straight out. "Ohh," Kyle sighed. "It was a couple of years ago. I was nine. I was coming home from school when some guy I never met pulled over in his car." Scott chuckled. "Was it an unmarked white van with promises of a kitten inside?" he asked. Kyle laughed. "I wish. This guy turned out to be the dad of a kid in my school. He started yelling at me about stealing something that belonged to his kid. I think it was a PSP but to be honest, I can't even remember. I told him flat out that I never took anything. Which was true. I hadn't. I only said to the kid that I desperately wanted one, but I would never resort to stealing. Well, the guy wasn't buying it, so he made me take out the stuff in my backpack. I took out my math book, my binder, my copy of The Hobbit. And then I felt it. It was a PSP. I remember now because I had never seen a white one before. The kid's dad starts yelling at me and calling me a thief. I didn't know what to do. I just panicked. I threw the PSP in his open car window and took off."

Scott listened as Kyle told him about going to his mother, telling her about what happened. He told Scott that his mom had said something along the lines of, "I knew this day would come." He continued. "Fortunately my mom realized what was going on before any monsters found me. But she knew I had to come here once my father's trait of being a master thief showed itself." Scott shook his head in disbelief. "Weren't you upset or anything?" he asked. Kyle shrugged. "I was at first. So many questions raced through my head. Did he know about me? And if he did, did he love me? I still harbor a bit of resentment towards Hermes. I mean, I know he's there now. I know who he is and how to contact him. But the loss of those nine years still eats at me a little, you know?"

Scott wished he could agree, but he still didn't know who his true father was. "But you know what?" Kyle asked. Scott looked up. "Whoever your dad is, I'm sure he'll be proud of you." Scott couldn't help but show a little smile. "Now come on!" Kyle shouted as he threw a pillow at Scott. "I don't want to miss breakfast!"

They made their way to the fire pit for breakfast and got a couple of seats with the rest of the Hermes cabin. Scott looked up from where he sat and saw Gemma eating some pancakes and talking with the other Demeter kids. Scott wanted desperately to talk to her, but at the same time, he was sick of hearing disembodied voices that no one else heard. Gemma looked back at him and smiled. Scott smiled back, unable to help himself. He was determined to get some alone time with her. Get to know her. And that opportunity was going to present itself sooner than he had expected.

"Good morning, children!" a voice called from the center of the pavilion. The centaur, Chiron was addressing the group. "Today, we have a big event planned for you all!" Scott looked to his left. Kyle had his fingers crossed and was muttering, "Capture the Flag. Capture the Flag." Scott looked back to Chiron. "Capture the Flag!" he shouted. The entire pavilion was filled with cheers from excited children. Kyle was pumping his fists in the air in excitement. Scott was confused. Why were they getting all in a tizzy for a stupid game? Chiron divided the cabins into two groups. One group was in blue, the other in red. The Hermes cabin was on the red team, as was the Demeter cabin. This is it, thought Scott.

Chiron and Annabeth brought out a massive chest. Scott looked puzzled. His eyes bulged out of their sockets when he saw what the chest contained. Armor. Shields. Swords. Axes. Maces. Every bit of armor and weaponry you could think of was in this chest. "What the hell's going on?" Scott asked Kyle. "We're playing Capture the Flag. Durr," he replied in a matter-of-fact way. "But what do we need all this for?" asked Scott. Kyle rolled his eyes. "The basic rules are the same. On either side of the forest is the other team's flag. The only difference is you have to defend yourself with sharp pointy objects." Scott gulped. "Am I gonna die?" he asked as he put on his armor and grabbed a lightweight sword. "If anything, you'll get some small gashes, but nothing serious." He winked and ran to where the teams were gathering to begin.

Scott struggled with fastening his armor. "Here, let me help you," a sweet voice said. Scott froze. He slowly turned around and saw Gemma adjusting the straps on his breastplate. "There you go," she said with a smile. He hadn't counted on her being so cute. Or Scottish. The accent was faint, but it was there. She reminded him of Amy Pond from _Doctor Who. _He had a major crush on her. And he was showing it as his cheeks flushed bright red. "My name's Gemma," she said, holding out her hand. Scott took it and stood there. "You're supposed to tell me your name," she whispered. "What? Oh- OH! Um... Scott. Is my name." She giggled. Scott turned even redder. "Well good luck Scott!" she said as they reached the teams, waiting to begin.

"On my mark," called Chiron, "we begin!" Scott was nervous. He had never used a sword before. Kyle and Gemma both said that things would be alright. Scott just couldn't shake this feeling that something bad was going to happen. He shook the feeling off as he met with his other teammates. A girl from the Ares Cabin was telling everyone what they had to do. She then directed her attention at Scott. "You, freshman. You're going to go with Kyle and a few of your other cabin mates over to the river and scout the location for the other side. Do you understand?" She was very commanding. Scott made a noise that was very noncommittal, but it didn't matter. He had a feeling that this was a girl you did not want to piss off.

Kyle patted him on the back. "Come on, Scott. I'll keep an eye on you." Scott gulped and nodded. He took a deep breath and they trudged off into the woods. Even though he was with a bunch of children his own age, Scott could not help but be absolutely terrified. As his group headed to the river he could hear the sounds of swords and shields clashing. Please don't make me have to use this, he prayed in his mind to anyone who was listening. As they passed through a clearing they were ambushed by a group of blue campers. Kyle grabbed Scott and threw him behind a few shrubs as he fought off the other team. "Go!" he cried. "Get to the river! We'll hold them off" Scott nodded and ran as fast as he could towards the river.

He wasn't paying attention. His foot met a rock and brought him tumbling to the ground. He rolled down a hill and rebounded off a couple of trees before the next sensation he felt was wet. Scott slowly got up and rubbed his back and his head. He looked around him. The hill was deeper than he thought it was. Nobody was around him. He felt this was a trap. Somebody had to be hiding somewhere. "Please!" he yelled to nobody in particular. "I don't want to do this!" Silence. He really was alone. He felt a trickle down his forehead. He wiped it away with his hand. Blood. He crouched down, still cautious, and splashed some water over his face.

Scott stood up and listened for any sounds. Only the distant sounds of the fighting and people shouting unintelligible orders. He ran to the other side of the river and saw something on the other side of the trees. The flag. Nobody was guarding it. This was too good to be true. He walked slowly to the flag. As he edged closer his hands moved to his sword. If he needed to use it, he wanted to be ready. The flag was getting closer and closer. It was within arm's reach. Scott stopped. There was a splash in the river behind him. He started breathing rapidly. Rustling in the bushes behind him. This is it. "HEY!" a voice cried. Scott closed his eyes and turned as fast as he could, sword drawn.

There was a thud and a noise like Scott had never heard before. A gurgling, sputtering noise. Scott opened his eyes and looked at his sword. Blood. He had made contact with someone. The image of the blood sent shivers up his spine, but not nearly as many as the sight that greeted him next. Kyle was on the ground making the horrible sputtering noise, clutching at his neck in a vain attempt to stem the flow of blood. The color was draining from his face as quickly as it was from Scott's face. He threw his sword down and ran to support Kyle. "HELP! HELP!" he screamed as hard as he could. Scott looked around, hoping someone, anyone, was close by. "I'M SORRY!" he cried. "I'M SO SORRY!"

A few people started to arrive at their location. Some more gathered. Pretty soon the entire camp had arrived to the grisly scene. The sound of hooves heralded the arrival of Chiron. "What's going on here?" he asked with a petrified look on his face. As he came into the small circle surrounding the boys, the light seemed to leave from Kyle's eyes as he let out one final breath. Scott began trembling with shock as he saw Kyle's head loll to the side. "NOO!" he cried. He was my first friend, he thought. And I've killed him. "It is the will of the gods," said Chiron with heavy sadness in his voice. "He is with Hades now." The rest of the campers bowed their heads in silence. Except Scott. His face altered from sadness to resolution. He had to do this. He hadn't done it since... He wasn't even sure if he could do it again. He reached down to Kyle and placed his hand over the gash in his neck.

It felt cold. Then it got warmer. Soon the feel of his hand against Kyle's neck was too much to bear. He pulled his hand away and looked down at the ground. The campers took a collective gasp as Kyles skin went from being pale and pasty to being a rosy shade of pink. The gash healed itself before everyone's eyes. Scott got closer to Kyle and saw his eyelids flutter. Scott was rendered speechless. Kyle looked around and saw the entire camp surrounding him. "What?" he asked. "Did I do something wrong? It wasn't me, I swear!" A few campers laughed. Others vomited or fainted. Or both. But everyone looked at Scott like they had never seen him before. Chiron broke the awkward silence. "Hail, Scott Dennings," he said, solemnly. "Son of Hades. Lord of the Dead."


End file.
